An Unfairy Tale Poem by Asim Mahmood

Once there was a nymph.
As stubborn, as one could think
such a ‘pampered little fairy' near a stream
Living a life....full of innocent joys and scream
'a prince waiting for my hand
Somewhere on the fantasy island'
So.. she would often dream…

.....But arrogance and vanity descended from …'Ancient Rome',
And she outgrew the lessons of humility taught at home,
she became her own first casualty
when realized her inherent frailty
Female chauvinism shaped her cynical view of life
When she became someone's wife.....
So she went on breaking every perception
that struck her ego with no signs of redemption
.... Until the 'nemesis' came face to face
With her long-awaited imaginary face
Here began a life full of imagination and fantasy,
Not so many are touched by such an ecstasy,
Dream within a dream
But striving to redeem…

Like two birds talking in a full moon night
They were lost in each other's sight
But Dreams turned into a nightmare
came the ‘end' of what wasn't an affair..
Soon they woke up from the blissful slumber
And swept away by the bitter sand storm in September

As dreams are made of softer stuff,
They proved as short-lived as a bough
Confronted with a life beyond dreams,
Reality took the nymph out of the streams

And started pelting stones at her own ghost
But the 'panic room' brought her to the senses she lost
She made peace with her demons …. finally..
And lived happily ever after with her family.